One of the best known contemporary Kurdish singers, Aynur Doğan takes to the stage at London’s Barbican this weekend as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. Originally from Turkey, Aynur’s impressive voice and extraordinary musical narration represent the music heritage of her cultural roots to the world. The Amsterdam-based singer has collaborated with a […]
Cyprus is featuring on the programme of a major cultural festival in Istanbul. Four films set in Cyprus and produced by legendary Turkish studios Yeşilçam are being screened as part of the Beyoğlu Kültür Yolu Festivali. The Beyoğlu Kültür Yolu Festival started on Saturday, 30 October, and runs for two weeks. The multi-cultural festival encompasses […]
A photograph by a British Turkish Cypriot has been shortlisted in the Everyday Muslim photography competition, which aims to document the lives of Britain’s diverse Muslim communities. Titled “Cards and Coffee”, the photograph by Erdal Redjep shows an elderly group of Turkish Cypriot men gathered around a table at a local community centre in London […]
Developments are under way between filmmakers in Turkey and Pakistan to create a joint television drama on the incredible life of medieval ruler Selahaddin Eyyubi. Eyyubi, also known as Salahaddin Ayyubid, Salahuddin al Ayyubi or Saladin for short, was born in Tikrit, Iraq, in 1138. A twelfth century warrior-turned-Sultan, Saladin founded the Ayyubid dynasty and […]
London is set to get its first major contemporary Turkish art exhibition, TA London, which opens at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery with a VIP preview evening on Tuesday 26 October. The week-long exhibition features 19 internationally acclaimed Turkish artists from Turkey, Cyprus, Azerbaijan and around the world, and 2 international guest artists. Organised by Renko […]
The British capital’s annual film fest got underway on Wednesday with a star-studded gala for the world premiere of The Harder They Fall featuring Idris Elba. The American Western marked the start of the 65th BFI (British Film Institute) London Film Festival, whose programme this year boasts 159 films from around the world, including four […]
Next month, Camden comes alive with the highly danceable sounds of Derya Yıldırım and Grup Şimşek: a perfect blend of Anatolian folk, psychedelia, electro funk and progressive rock. The band return to London for a performance at the Jazz Café on 20 November, serving up fresh-yet-familiar sounds that are inspired by the likes of Selda […]
Nizami Ganjavi is one of Azerbaijan’s greatest poets and thinkers. Following a decree by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in Janury, 2021 was declared the “Year of Nizami Ganjavi”. The aim is to promote Nizami throughout the world and to further explore his legacy. It should be noted that although there […]
Hamlet’s famous advice to the players goes: “Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue.” But what do you do as a performer if you are living within a culture that sees you as an alien, as ‘other’? Featuring at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and an […]
On Thursday, 2 September, the third edition of Taste of Anatolia – Films from Turkey gets underway. This year, the festival is screening 38 movies, the vast majority of them making their UK premiere. As Britain’s only independent Turkish film festival, this four day event offers Turkish cinema lovers the chance to see a highly […]
